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New NASA astronauts headed for destinations unknown

EIGHT new people have what it takes to travel in space – if NASA can decide where they will go.

On 17 June the US space agency announced its new class of astronauts, the first who will be trained for exploration beyond Earth orbit since the Apollo years.

Chosen from a pool of more than 6300 applicants, the class of 2013 includes pilots, military officers, doctors and a physicist. Early training will focus on trips to the International Space Station and flying in commercial vehicles like the SpaceX Dragon capsule. After that, their path is uncertain.

NASA recently confirmed a plan to drag an asteroid into lunar orbit to use as a training ground for deep-space exploration. But if a bill drafted by the US House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology passes, the mission will be axed. “The draft legislation focuses NASA’s limited resources on initiatives that have strong, long-standing bipartisan support, like sending humans to Mars,” a Congressional aide revealed.

This article appeared in print under the headline “Astronauts in flux”